C.J. Spiller: My ankle feels wonderful

Posted by Josh Alper on May 30, 2014, 3:22 PM EST

AP

The Bills reportedly showed some interest in adding running back Carlos Hyde in the draft before he was selected by the 49ers and then they traded for Bryce Brown before the draft was over, adding some more depth at a position where their two biggest names are both set to become free agents after the season.

Fred Jackson is 33, so the Bills probably aren’t keeping much of a role in mind for him beyond this season. C.J. Spiller, on the other hand, turns 27 this summer and will likely have a chance to convince the Bills to hang onto him. To guarantee that happens, Spiller will need a season that looks more like his 2012 campaign and not a 2013 season that saw him struggle with an ankle injury. Good news for them, then, that Spiller says he feels like it is 2012 all over again.

“I don’t feel nothing, I feel great,” Spiller said, via the team’s website. “This is the best I’ve felt since 2012 when I had that great year. The ankle feels wonderful. I just have to keep doing what I need to do to stay healthy this whole season and try to go out there and make plays.”

Even with the ankle injury, Spiller averaged 4.6 yards per carry last season so a return to health and a better passing game should lead to even better results. Neither of those things can be taken for granted, but the Bills can at least feel good about how Spiller’s feeling at this point in the offseason.